Moving Closer
by Marauder Neyo
Summary: Bechloe HS AU: Chloe broke up with Beca during 9th grade - for reasons unknown to Beca. But when Chloe returned to school two years later, what will happen? Would Beca take Chloe back? Would Chloe even try to win Beca's heart again?
1. Prologue

**A/N: This is just a little something to remind me how to write again. It's been a long time since I've written for something other than school (not including my fetus-fics that I wrote when I was just 12-13. Ugh. Haha). But tell me what you think in the comments below if you want me to continue or not. :) Or if this is totally bad or just a little on top the borderline for good. I don't have much faith on my writing lately. *sigh* I miss it. Sorry if it starts out a bit angsty, I had to do it so you'll have some insight on what happened to Chloe (or what's happening to her).**

 **Disclaimer: Not mine. Only the plot (and OCs) is mine. You guys know Bechloe is going to be canon since PP1 if I ever did have rights of ownership on the movie. *wink* And I know you would too. *secret Bechloe fandom handshake***

 **Summary: Chloe broke up with Beca during 9th grade - for reasons unknown to Beca. But when Chloe returns to school two years later, what will happen? Would Beca take Chloe back? Would Chloe even try to win Beca's heart again?**

 **PS: I don't have a beta, English isn't my mother tongue, and I just wrote this on my phone since I'm currently travelling and unable to use my laptop. So if you want to point out my mistakes, go ahead so I'll know. ;) Thank you. Now let the aca-games begin!**

 **Contest entry for YoYoYo25's challenge. If you want to join, go check her profile out. ;)**

* * *

 **Moving Closer (Prologue)**

"How are you today, Chloe?"

Such a common question, which means it should just be simple to answer, right? But why can't Chloe bring herself to reply? The redhead looked at Ms. Collins, her psychologist, with a distraught look on her face.

And Miss Collins gets it. The question is supposed to be simple, but the answer is complex. When she looks at Chloe's eyes, she gets it. She knows. She knows what Chloe is feeling, how she's feeling right now. It's the same eyes that haunted her before every single time she looks at a mirror. But that was a long while ago.

Chloe looked down and shrugged her shoulders, "I'm okay."

Bianca Collins has treated enough patients during her entire sixteen years on the job to know the difference between words and feelings. She knows the difference between what her patients say and what they really mean. And right now, what Chloe actually means is that she's not okay. But Bianca knows she will be. The twenty-eight year old psychologist just hopes it doesn't take Chloe that long, like she did before.

She tried hard to mask her shudder and looked at Chloe with a smile on her face. Chloe has been like this for a while now, three months and two days to be precise, and yet it seems like... Wait. Bianca just had an idea.

"Chloe, how do you feel about going to the carnival today?"

A certain light flickered in Chloe's eyes for a split second, and a grin overtook her face.

"Judging by your expression, I'm going to take that as a yes."

Chloe gave a sheepish look and slowly said, "staying at home can be boring at times."

Chloe chose her words carefully, but Bianca thinks it's progress.

"Okay, let's go. My treat."

"You don't need to do that, Miss. Mom left me some money on the counter."

"Oh, don't be silly. I've got it covered."

"But, miss..."

"How about a deal, Chloe? I'll be paying, but I'm going to ask a favor from you in exchange. Sound better?"

Chloe thought of it for a second, but she ended up nodding.

"I'll pay, but you have to call me Bianca. Stop calling me Miss Collins. I feel really old. And this sexy lady still has a long way to go," Bianca said and playfully wiggled her butt in front of the younger girl.

Chloe smiled at Bianca's attempted humor. It's probably the most genuine smile she has seen on the fourteen year old girl so far. She hopes this carnival will make Chloe forget how to fake a smile.

"Good! Let's go, I'm already excited," said Bianca while picking up her purse. They went out of the Beale's manor and into Bianca's car.

Bianca forgot to press the unlock button on her remote due to her excitement at Chloe's progress and just opened the car door immediately. But instead of the car door opening, it was Chloe's mouth that opened. Chloe screamed when she heard the beeping of the car.

Bianca was shocked. Chloe never screamed.

"Ch-Chloe, CHLOE! WHAT'S WRONG?"

"MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!"

Bianca remembered that certain sounds could trigger the memory of the person that has PTSD. How could she be so foolish? Of course Chloe would react that way. Her dad died in a car crash after all! Not to mention, Chloe was in the car when it happened eight months ago.

"MAKE IT STOP! M-MAKE IT STOP! PL-PLEASE! PLEASE!"

Only when Chloe screamed again did Bianca remember where they were. When Bianca saw the girl kneeling on the floor with her hands covering her ears and tears flowing freely from her eyes, she regained movement in her muscles and stopped the loud beeping using the unlock button on her remote.

But Chloe was still on the floor, and so Bianca kneeled down as well and hugged the girl. She let the redhead cry on her shoulders. She comforted Chloe as best as she could. The redhead kept on mumbling, but Bianca wasn't sure she heard correctly due to the heavy sobs that overtook the usually quiet redhead.

When the girl in her arms finally calmed down, she asked her if she still wanted to go to the carnival.

Chloe sniffed and shook her head.

"It's okay. Come on, let's get you back inside. Your mom's going to be home any minute, anyway. And our two-hour session was supposed to be over twenty minutes ago."

Chloe nodded weakly and stood up. "Sorry."

"For what, Chloe?"

"I, I know tha-that w-we, that I was supposed t-to, to-"

"It's okay, Chloe. It's not your fault. We still have tomorrow, anyway," Bianca smiled. And with that, they went back inside the mansion.

Even if Chloe wasn't able to properly formulate her sentence, the kind psychologist was still able to understand what she meant to say. Chloe wanted to apologize because they were already making progress, but then it was like everything crashed and burned just because of one sound.

Bianca has been through that before. Even if the British psychologist wants to blame herself for what happened, she knows she can't blame her own self as well. That's what her psychologist twenty years ago told her when something akin to what happened today happened to her before.

When they arrived in Chloe's room, Chloe weakly climbed inside the covers of her queen-sized bed.

Bianca sat down for a while and tucked a stray hair behind the teen's ear.

When Chloe looked up to her, she said, "it's not your fault, Chloe. What happened eight months ago wasn't your fault either."

Chloe played with the hem of her blanket. When the older woman saw this, she told Chloe to rest. She kissed Chloe's forehead and went out after saying goodbye.

When Bianca descended down the stairs, she saw none other than Delilah Beale come in. Apparently, she just came in because she still has her keys on her hands.

"How was work, Del?"

"Tiring. But it's my job, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I just wish I could spend more time with Chloe. But the hospital is short of doctors. How's my baby girl?"

"She... Well, we were supposed to go to the carnival; but... I think you should sit down for this," Bianca said while holding up a chair for the older woman.

The redhead was bemused with Bianca's seriousness and resigned tone. but she sat down anyway and waited for the beautiful blonde to elaborate.

When the younger woman finished telling Chloe's mother, the latter had a distraught look on her face while the former watched her with concerned eyes.

"I'm sorry, Del."

"It wasn't your fault, B. Besides, now we know that car-related things somehow affect Chloe," Delilah said while putting her hand on top of the psychologist.

Bianca smiled and said, "I wouldn't say 'car-related' things. But rather, things that would remind her about the accident. Of course, the car is obvious. But Chloe never reacted before the beep a while ago even when we were near the car. She only reacted when she heard the noise."

"I hope my baby girl is okay."

"She will be," Bianca told the concerned mother with an air of determination - like she was sure Chloe really is going to be okay. For now, that's the hope Delilah clings on to.

"Where would I be without you, B?"

"Let's talk about that some other time. For now, I think you need to talk with Chloe."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Delilah said while standing up and hugging her friend.

Delilah's eyes followed her on the way out. When Bianca reached her car, she smiled and waved towards Delilah - which was benevolently returned by the latter. Once the widow wasn't able to see her friend's car anymore, she went upstairs to talk to her princess.

 _ **TBC**_


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: This chapter is actually a time-skip. Chloe is already 16, while Aubrey is 15. Chloe changed a lot during that time. You'll know why soon enough (there are actually hints on this chapter). All mistakes are my own. I decided not to get a beta in order to challenge myself. To improve, y'know. Sorry it took so long to update... *looks forlornly at broken laptop* Yeah, that happened. Ugh. Good thing internet cafés exist, huh? Okaaay... Time to stop talking so you can start reading the chap. *salute*

Disclaimer: Nope. Still not mine.

* * *

 **Moving Closer (Chapter 1)**

 _Inhale. Exhale. Don't think. Just breathe._

"SCOTT!"

 _Ugh._ A vein popped up on Aubrey's head.

"WHAT IS IT NOW, MICHELLE?"

 _Relax. Calm down. You don't want to vom- Shit!_

The blonde-haired girl rushed up from her yoga mat with her hands covering her mouth - an annoyed expression plastered on her face; seriously, this was getting out of hand.

If she could let wolves rip her vocal cords right now, she would. But that would result on her untimely death, so never mind.

She still has to graduate and become valedictorian. Right now, that's her most important goal. Fuck everything else. Fuck the world. Fuck her parents. After graduating, she'll be going to another state, finally free of those fucking pieces of shit that would never stop arguing.

One of these days, she'll become infected with all their arguing and she'll start insulting random strangers - especially those with ear spikes. Aubrey never understood why some people choose to wear those ear monstrosities everyday. They were-

 _Ew._ She attempted to swallow her vomit because she knew that if she'd throw up on the stairs, her father would kill her. She inhaled for a second, and felt the acid start to rise back up. _Not again._ This was what their family doctor warned her about - the doctor who's still on a seminar in Europe.

She quickly went down the stairs and stepped into the hall leading to her room in order to get to the bathroom.

On the way, the voices became clearer - not that the entire country couldn't hear them anyway; with all the shouting that was happening. The blonde heard a few words from "you have no more time for us" and "are you cheating on me" to "how many times must I tell you, bitch" and "use your brain, not your heart; you women are just so needy". Aubrey rolled her eyes. _Typical._

She was going to open the door leading to her bedroom when, in a sudden state of impulse, she craned her neck to look at what was happening to her parents.

There, her parents stood, inside their room beside Aubrey's; with the door wide open. Aubrey was shocked at what she saw. Never, in her entire life, did she imagine that this would happen.

She read it in books. She saw it in movies. She cried during documentaries. But she never imagined that this would happen to her. _Her._ Her family that other people thought were perfect. If only they knew.

Her dad's back was to her, so she couldn't see the menacing expression on his face. But she did see the bat he was holding. It was his special baseball bat. The signature of his favorite baseball player, Barry Bonds, is still on the topmost part, so Aubrey deduced that it was supposed to be the bat that was inside the glass- _oh no._

Their daughter looked down a little bit to the left. There he was, standing while holding his _special_ bat while her mother was on the floor - with tears flowing freely from her eyes. Her face talked of immense pain and sadness - too intense for an average fifteen year old to comprehend.

But Aubrey wasn't an average fifteen year old girl. She couldn't see any visible bruises, but with how her mother was cradling her left arm; she knew that there was a bruise there.

Blood was also gushing down from her legs. Shards of glass were scattered on the floor. Even her father had blood on his knuckles. It must have been due to hitting the glass with his bare hands in order to get his oh-so-special-that-he-wouldn't-let-anyone-not-even-his-own-daughter-touch-it bat.

That was it. Aubrey couldn't handle it, anymore. She vomited all across the newly-polished (courtesy of Tessa, their head maid) floor. This was it. Her dad's going to kill her. _Literally._

She kept vomiting until she passed out. Her last thought being how stupid her father was. Why would he crack open the glass with his bare hands when he had a key for it? _Stupid father. Stupid stress-vomiting._

 _Beep. Beep._ The green-eyed girl opened her eyes to take in her surroundings. _All white._ Where was she? She slowly sat up in order to scan the entire room.

She was on a bed. _Okay._ There was a crucifix on the wall at the top of the headboard. _Good._ There was a heart monitor on the left side of her bed. _Bad._ Her eyes followed the wires onto the clip attached to her left ring finger. _Really, really bad._ She was in a hospital.

If there was a contest for 'how wide can you open your eyes', Aubrey would be the winner. No one would even dare compete against her with her expression right now.

The heart monitor was beeping rapidly, but Aubrey didn't care. She kept on thrashing around until a nurse came in.

"Aubrey, calm down," the nurse said slowly with panic on her face.

"I AM CALM!" Aubrey shouted at the nurse, obviously being the opposite of her statement.

The nurse took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. It was only her fourth day on the job, and now _this._

Yesterday, she had to calm down a seven-year-old boy who kept crying for three hours straight because he wanted chocolate; even though the doctor told him to restrict eating anything sugary. No wonder Dr. Manson went out immediately, leaving the nurse to care for the boy. Tsk. _Lucky doctors. And they get more pay than us!_

"WHY AM I HERE?!"

Funny. That's exactly what was going on inside the head of the nurse. Why was she here, anyway? That's it, she's going to quit tomorrow.

The mental image of the elderly man that she first tended to was stuck in her head. Because of the drugs the doctor injected him with, he thought that the nurse was his wife; and kept on pestering her to give him a blowjob. This hospital has scarred her for life.

She shuddered, and then answered the girl sitting on the bed with her arms crossed. It would have been cute if it wasn't for the monstrous expression on her face, screaming 'murder, murder'.

The nurse pursed her lips and explained, "you passed out and your father brought you here. Now don't overreact, bu-"

"MY FATHER?! WHERE IS HE? WHERE IS THAT BASTARD?"

Lauren, the nurse, took in a much needed breathe and answered the girl, "yes. Your father. Actually, he already went out. Your mother is here as well-"

"WAIT! My mother? Where is she? WHERE IS SHE? I WANT TO SEE HER!"

Okay, she shouldn't have said that. How could she forget? Who, with a sane mind, would tell a teenager whom just woke up in a hospital that her mother is in the hospital as well? Bloody and bruised, to top all that off! _Lauren freakin' Costillas, that's who._

She quickly planned out an escape route.

"I'll call your doctor. She can explain your condition better than I can," the nurse attempted a smile. But it kind of looked like a grimace. She seriously needs to work on her social skills.

"I DON'T WANT A DOCTOR! I WANT MY MOTHER! RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"

"I'll be right back," Lauren said and walked out of the room - exhaling heavily. She didn't notice that she actually held her breath. _Hmm._

When the nurse walked out of the room, Aubrey laid back on the bed with a solemn expression on her face. She shouldn't have been too hard on the nurse.

But when she mentioned Aubrey's father, the girl remembered why she was in the hospital in the first place. She wanted to know what happened to her mother. She closed her eyes and recounted the things that happened an hour ago... Two hours ago? A day? She wasn't sure. _Heck, maybe even a year!_

The door to her room opened, and the blonde opened her eyes to reveal someone clad in a long coat with a stethoscope hanging around her neck. Red hair, a friendly smile, confident pose, and a knowing look. _A doctor._

"Where's my mother?" The green-eyed girl all but demanded.

 _"If you let people feel that you're superior than them, they will treat you as such."_ Her father's voice resonated through her ears.

Instead of being intimidated, the doctor just chuckled. Her kind face never morphing into a scared one. Aubrey scrunched up her eyebrows at this. If it worked on the nurse, it would've also worked on the doctor, right? It never failed her before.

"Hello, Ms. Posen. My name is Dr. Beale," Delilah started.

"She's okay, if that's what you're asking. She's actually in the other room besides you right now. And don't worry, she's awake. But she's still resting, which means we shouldn't demand her to come _right this instant,"_ she continued - putting emphasis on the last three words.

Aubrey looked down. The doctor was right.

"For now, let's focus on you. Are you feeling okay?"

Now that Aubrey thought about it, she was actually feeling okay. Besides the stress-vomiting, she doesn't know why she still has to stay- "wait, did you give me any drugs? Medicines? Pills?"

Dr. Delilah Beale had an incomprehensible expression on her face. Or at least, Aubrey couldn't comprehend it.

"You're a smart one," the doctor grinned.

Aubrey fought her blush, "th-thanks."

Delilah thought that the stutter was just caused by embarrassment. Sure, it was also caused by that. But what she doesn't know is that it was the first compliment Aubrey received. Her parents never said that to her.

"Well, I did actually inject you with a little Chlordiazepoxide. You know what that is?"

Aubrey scrunched up her eyebrows with the foreign name and slowly said, "well... Seeing as how it affected me, it's some sort... No, _it's a drug_ that treats anxiety. And judging by the heart monitor near my bed and how you emphasized the word _'little',_ a side effect of it is either rapid or slow heart rate."

Aubrey was talking confidently now, "and since you aren't taking any obvious desperate or panic-driven action when you looked at my heart monitor, and I don't mean a glance but a not-so-subtle analytical look, a while ago; my heart is fine. And oh! I didn't stress vomit, so that's a good thing. And I'm actually feeling okay. I forgot to answer your question a while ago."

Delilah laughed, which caused the grin on Aubrey's face to fade. "No, no, no. I didn't mean to laugh. It's just that... I was right, you really are a smart one. Most children your age wouldn't have that acute of an observation."

Aubrey blushed. She stopped fighting it. With this doctor, there's no way you _can't_ blush.

"Mom!"

"Mooooom!" A little blur of red whizzed by and immediately grapled the doctor's legs. The doctor chuckled and introduced the newcomer to Aubrey.

"This little ball of precious here is Chloe. Chloe, meet Aubrey - the smartest girl on the planet."

Despite the grammatical error, Aubrey couldn't help but smile at the _precious little ball._ Chloe's smile was contagious.

"Wait, I thought I was the smartest girl on the planet?" Chloe playfully asked.

"Well, you _were._ But Aubrey over here actually got the answer right when I asked her. While you on the other hand," Delilah tickled her daughter while Chloe squeeled and laughed.

Aubrey couldn't take her eyes off of the pair. It was enchanting to watch - the happiness portrayed by the mother and daughter. A sad smile creeped up on Aubrey's face.

When the laughter died down, Chloe tapped on Aubrey's shoulder.

"I'm proud of you," the little ball of precious said.

"I know how hard my mother's questions are. I can't even understand half of the words that comes out of her mouth on a daily basis," the redhead continued while grinning down at the blonde.

Aubrey couldn't handle the cheek-splitting grin that overtook her face. What? You can't blame her. If Chloe kept on smiling like that, even the dictionary would forget what sadness means.

Besides, those were the words she wanted her parents to tell her for a long time now. And here were two people that she just met, telling her all the things she's waited for so long to hear. For the first time in years, Aubrey's eyes shined with a light that blasted out hope and happiness.

"Excuse my daughter, Aubrey. Trust me, I wasn't the one that gave her all that sass. It's all on Amy."

" _Fat_ Amy, mom."

"You call her Fat Amy?"

"Oh. It's actually what she calls herself, 'Bree. Mind if I call you that?"

Before Aubrey could reply, Chloe continued, "Okay. I don't call her that to be rude or anything. I even asked her that question the first time we met last summer during her birthday."

"Wait... You went on her birthday even if you didn't know her before that?" Aubrey asked, bemused.

Chloe laughed and replied, "yep," popping the 'p' in the end, "she wouldn't take no for an answer. I was actually sitting down by the beach with a good book. I really love reading! And then she told me how she wrestled a shark. She's the best shark-wrestler in Tasmania, you know. _With nails._ I was immersed by her story and asked her how she did it. And then she told me, _'uhh... No offense, Red. But it's not for twig... bees like you.'_ And then she invited me for ice cream with the rest of her friends: Lilly, Donald, Stacie, Jessica, and Denise. She didn't actually say ' _twig bees',_ she said _'twig bit-'_ okay, sorry. I'm incapable of swearing. But you get what I mean. You get what I mean, right?"

Aubrey nodded her head. It's basically her dad's _petname_ for her mother. But she's still unsure whether she should trust what the perky redhead said or not. _Shark-wrestlers?_

Seeing the look on Aubrey's face, Chloe took this as an opportunity to tell the green-eyed girl that she should meet her friends. Aubrey never had any friends before. Acquaintances, sure. But never friends.

 _'Having a friend is weakness, Aubrey. Friends will just leave you hurt in the end.'_ Her father's voice filled her ears. But this time, she didn't listen to it. _Well you know what, dad? Fuck you!_

Unbeknownst to the two girls, Delilah actually slipped out of the room a while ago with a smile on her face while signing a slip saying that the patient on room 203 is free to go. She also forgot to ask Chloe what she was doing in the hospital. And Chloe forgot to tell her that she was going to watch a movie with her friends tonight entitled _Pitch Perfect_.

When she came back in the aforementioned room, she found her daughter on the bed sitting beside Aubrey - both girls talking animatedly with one another. Instead of telling the blonde the good news, she resolved to go back to her office in order to encode the medical report of one Ms. Posen after checking the machines monitoring the patient's health.

It wasn't life-threatening, anyway. When the doctor reached her office, she deduced that Aubrey was just under a lot of stress. Stress that shouldn't be felt by a girl around her age. _She was so going to the bottom of this._

 _TBC_


End file.
